Results tagged “Camp” from GSSA Leader Blog: The Virtual Volunteer

It
is always nice to be up close and personal with volunteers over a sustained
period of time. I have many
opportunities to interact with volunteers, but not over days or weeks. A shout out to the volunteers who were wonderful
and worked at resident camp this summer, doing all sorts of great things and
made camp that much better this year.
Rusty and Gwen Black, Caroline Breshears, Elizabeth Conner, Vivian
Martin, Tina Savell, and Dana Jones were so very helpful during the camp
season. Thank you for sharing your
gifts with the girls.

It
is always interesting during the summer to listen to the girls talk about their
troop experiences and Girl Scout experiences.
I am always amazed at the wide variety of experiences and adventures
these girls have with your planning and assistance. I found the girls at resident camp this
summer to have a high sense of exploration, confidence to get out of their
comfort zone, and knowledge about the natural world. I listened to some girls talk about different
types of bugs. We had another girl who
wore her cowboy boots because she was fearful of snakes. Then when PANDA had a small chicken snake,
she decided she would face her fears.
Later she told me she wanted to "kiss it" which we didn't let her
do. But the difference between hot boots to
thinking the snake was really cool convinced me of the capacity for girls to
grow and learn through these experiences.
Most of their Girl Scout experiences are within your trusty care.

As
the summer winds down and we start to turn our attention to fall it is good to
be reminded why working with girls pays such tremendous dividends. The girls I saw all summer were curious,
happy, brave, and inquisitive. Thank
you for all you do to make this possible for all the girls we have the
privilege of serving.

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We are on the other side of the hump on
summer. As in my youth, time seems to be
relative, with summer waning faster than the rest of the year. Where does the time go? Where does the summer go?

I have returned to the four walls of
my office to work, instead of my preferred office with no ceiling, walls, or
windows -- simply a chair, my laptop, and the sounds of summer fun at camp;
girls singing, laughing, playing, canoeing, swimming, zip lining, hiking and
having fun.

As an educator, there is nothing more
gratifying than watching girls have fun while learning. The hands-on, experiential learning that
camp provides is a great gift. It is wonderful
to watch older girls, who have been Girl Scouts throughout their lives work
with younger girls to show them what they have learned. They share their wisdom, knowledge, and
gifts with others and it is a beautiful.
Some of the skills they have been part of Girl Scouts for more than 100
years. New colors, new materials, and
new ways of work have made other longtime skills pertinent for today's
girls. My neon-colored paracord neck
lanyard for my glasses is evidence I'm cool.
The fun small kayaks the girls use quickly provide them with paddling
experience in a buoyant boat that makes canoeing in a larger aluminum canoe so
much easier. The stand up paddleboards
become an entre to windsurfing and other aquatic skills.

Some of what girls experience at camp will
be remembered for a lifetime. There are
new friends, new songs, new skills and thrills that make summertime so special.

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Some days at Camp were HOT. The temperatures may have been soaring, but you
couldn't tell by what was going on around me. From my "office" on a porch near Lake Martin, I saw so many girls growing and having fun.

I saw girls in the pavilion learning
new songs. Another group near the
tetherball were playing something akin to Marco Polo on land. Behind me the whir of the zip line continued as girls tested their mettle by giving it a try.
In the cove, there was a group taking out the sailboats for the first
time. The temperatures were high, but
you could not tell by the girls I was surrounded by -- all making the best of their
summer vacation having a ball.

Camp has been great this summer. The camp staff has been excellent! The food has been incredibly good. One of the staff noted that the food is so
good we have not seen hardly any homesickness, because there is a direct
relationship between comfort food and feelings of home and safety. Amanda, our new staff member who is running
camp, has brought some fun new ideas and traditions to the experience.

We have worked hard to assure girls are
learning skill building in all their activities. They can play some, but canoe time is
getting into the water, learning to swamp the canoe and developing others
skills. Just in case you missed it on our social media, the girls had a contest
at Camp Scoutshire Woods between two groups under the swamped canoes singing
Crazy Moose. It is hilarious! We were
discussing how quickly girls pick up skills if provided the opportunity to give
things a try. We had the Sunfish out
this afternoon, and the instructor was stunned how a couple of the girls were
rapidly proficient by just watching and listening to the instructions. Girls are simply amazing!

On one day, I was over at the swim dock
taking some video of the girls in swim lessons. The lifeguards said in a couple of cases
they weren't sure one or two of the girls would progress. But with sheer determination and hard work,
one in particular is really becoming a proficient swimmer. The staff was amazed and delighted.

We work very hard to return your camper as a girl who has become more
independent, proficient, and confident.
They have had fun, but they have also established some skills that will
stay with them the remainder of their lives.

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My
office has sunlight peeking through the pine, there are some bugs around,
mostly ants. As I write this, I can
hear the girls behind me working on getting through a spider web exercise
requiring communication, cooperation, and teamwork. This is when being the CEO of Girl Scouts of
Southern Alabama has maximum benefit.

So
far the homesickness has been minimal, the giggles and singing constant, and
the food pretty good. The girls have
been on horseback, racing around the island in their kayaks and canoes, and
working on improving their swimming skills.

The girls who did the sampler camp have gone home, but many did not want to
leave because they were having such a good time. This is what we love to hear -- that the fun
and some autonomy from their parents is welcome. It is always good to have your daughter be confident
and independent.

We have talked about whether Girl Scout families would like an opportunity to
come up to camp and enjoy what the girls experience. We discussed having a week or two each
summer where we would have the waterfront and canoe area available and folks
could come up with their families and have some fun. That means you would have to manage your own
cooking needs, but something we were discussing. If you think you would like to do this,
please send us an e-mail at communications@girlscoutssa.org.

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As we say goodbye to one of our program staff,
Amy Farrar (camp name "Sunny"), who has done a great job at summer resident
camp and programs, we welcome Amanda Abercrombie. Amanda comes to us with
program and camp experience from Girl Scout councils in Mississippi and Tennessee.
Our fantastic program staff has been developing camp programming
throughout the cookie program, and Amanda has jumped right in! We
anticipate another fun summer this year!
Please check our
website (www.girlscoutssa.org/camp) to learn more about our summer camp
sessions.

Amanda
was happy to answer some questions so we can get to know more about her.

What do you hope to bring to your role as STEM
and Outdoor Program Manager?

I hope I can translate my love, knowledge, and
appreciation for outdoors, camp, and STEM into fun and exciting programs that
will capture the girls' interest and inspire them to want to continue to learn
more.

What's your favorite part of camp life?

My favorite part of camp is the camaraderie that
is fostered in a camp environment. Camp is a very unique environment that
encourages fast friendships that can last a lifetime. Additionally, I
enjoy the comfortable atmosphere that comes with working at camp. At camp
you are encouraged to be a version of yourself that you don't always get to
show in the seriousness of everyday life. Camp is the only place I know where it is perfectly acceptable to run around in a pirate hat, sing
camp songs as loudly and off-key as possible, walk around all day smelling like
campfire smoke, and still have the respect/admiration of your campers and
fellow staff members.

What do you want girls to take away from their
camp or outdoor experience?

My main goal is to help girls grow on the
inside by being outside. Camp, as well as other programs, is a wonderful
opportunity for girls, staff and volunteers to grow and expand, not just their
knowledge of the outdoors, but their confidence, self-esteem, and comfort
zones. I feel that everyone who comes to camp or participates in a
program takes something away from the experience and with each year they build
on the foundation of the year before.

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Why send my
daughter to summer camp?That's a great
question, and one we're often asked.

There seem to
be a couple of schools of thought in our Girl Scout family. One is that all children should be sent to
camp. It provides skill development,
enhances independence from parents, and builds confidence. This is the traditional thought about camp
-- that being outdoors, away from parents and siblings teaches kids to develop
skills. And it does.

The other school of thought is the prevailing one of more cautious
parents. They either didn't have a good
camp experience or no camp experience, so they aren't comfortable allowing
their daughter to attend camp without them.
They also worry she won't have a good time. And because we don't allow cell phones,
there isn't any contact, which may heighten their anxiety and worry. I ask lots of girls whether they are going
to camp. I hear plenty of them respond
because their parents don't want them to.

We have created
a day program for those whose parents aren't comfortable with them being away
from home with the day camps. We take
girls up to camp in the morning and return them each evening. This proved to be a good experience for the
girls who tried it last summer. We
learned some things through this experience, so we plan on that being a great
opportunity for them. We also have the
shortened session for those younger girls who want to give camp a try, but a
week is just too long. Look for the
Brownie Sampler as the one for your daughter who wants to give it a try.

Each summer I'm
fortunate to watch girls learn how to ride a horse, learn to swim, hike on
trails and identify parts of their world, and giggle and have a great
time. There's the occasional moment of
homesickness, but we work to keep the girls busy so they don't have time for that.

Girls have fun
at camp. They learn they can do things
they didn't believe they could, whether that is sleep in a tent or cabin,
confront a spider, put their face in a murky lake, or navigate to the bath
house after dark. Girls build
confidence at camp. I watch it every
year, whether that happens at the swim dock, on a zip line or in a tent it is
simply amazing to watch.

Girls spend
lots of time at camp talking to one another, making new friends, learning
songs, and some days just being silly.
Because they don't have access to electronics they learn to savor the
silence, listen to the sounds of the outdoors, and understand who they are
without their parents readily available.
I'm always gratified and amazed to watch even the meekest girl exhibit
the character she possesses in this context.
Last year one of the smallest of the girls I watched one day was the
most intrepid.

It takes
courage to send your daughter to camp and for her to go. Last year we had a number of girls who had
so much fun their first week that they returned for more, or went from Camp
Scoutshire Woods to Kamp Kiwanis for another week in a different location. Most earned badges and patches. Many made some great crafts. Almost all learned more about swimming and
canoeing or tried a stand up paddle board.
Some mastered horsemanship, while others learned to survive in the
woods. I was at camp every day last
summer, and it was only occasionally that I witnessed a girl not having a good
time or homesick.

As you consider what you want your daughter to learn, offer her an opportunity
to learn what happens in the great outdoors. It is simply amazing!

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It seems hard
to believe that it's already time to start planning for resident, but it
certainly is.We have reviewed the
comments from girls, had some discussions, and now we are working on what to
offer for next summer's resident camp sessions.To remain aligned with GSUSA, we are
continuing to focus on core outdoor skills.It is a return to some of the long held and cherished values of the Girl
Scout program.Since we don't know what
outdoor badges will be offered, we are working to focus on all those program
opportunities girls voted on for the 2015 program.

To answer our most often asked question, yes, we will continue to offer the
horse program. We will also continue to
offer swimming lessons, so girls can increase their confidence and abilities in
and around the water. In a state that
has lots of water, it is important for girls to have swimming skills and
confidence around those skills. Day
camp worked for a number of girls who didn't want to spend the night, or their
parents weren't comfortable with it. We
had some great successes there with a number of girls returning for a resident
camp session, so we will offer day camp again.
Brownie Sampler is another great way to introduce your daughter to camp
if you are concerned about the length of a full session. Leadership camp will also be returning as
part of the program.

One of the
interesting things I have learned the past few years is that girls who have
attended camp for years don't necessarily possess some of the outdoors skills
we might expect. Few know how to build
a campfire, for example. Outdoor
cooking skills are somewhat limited. We
have done a great job with survivor skills, so GPS, compass, and some of the
outdoor hiking skills are good, but others have not been part of the
program. Our current thinking is we
will work to integrate more of those into the program for all girls.

My own foray
into Girl Scouts was serving as the assistant director of a summer resident
camp, so I understand and resonate with the values camp provides. Last summer Karlyn Edmonds, COO, and I were
able to spend our summer at resident camp.
What a tremendous gift that was.
We were able to see on a daily basis girls who were not deterred by
their size, their skill level, their anxiety, or their fear. One day I watched one of the smallest girls
in her group take on the task at hand, master it, do it well, and then show her
friends how to do it. It was simply
amazing to watch.

As we work to shape the summer program, we are in search of girl input. If your daughter or troop has thoughts about
the camp program, please contact us at communications@girlscoutssa.org.

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I
spend a lot of time, as does COO Karlyn
Edmonds, working with the rangers to make
sure the camp properties are the best we can provide with our finite financial
resources.

I
was talking to one of them awhile back who said someone told him being a ranger must be the best job in the world, to have the views and the
opportunities. His response was that yes, he likes his job, but he
doesn't get to enjoy it in the same way those of you who go up to camp do. He looks around and sees nothing but
work. There's always more to do. There's grass to be cut and trimmed. There are building issues where the list is
simply endless, even though he is working on it all the time.

One
night when I was up at camp, I couldn't sleep and was thinking
through how many buildings GSSA uses.
GSSA has 36 buildings and 36 bathhouses, for a total of 72
buildings. This many buildings require a lot of maintenance. Just think of the
number of roofs when it comes to that. We also have more than 700 acres to maintain.
This 700 acres has six lakes, five of which we care for.

I want to
introduce you to the new Camp Scoutshire ranger and his wife, Chuck and Leigh
Norris. They come to us from the Isaac
Creek Campground where they have worked for more than five years. They are in the process of moving into the
house at Camp Scoutshire Woods. Leigh
enjoys mowing, so I have seen her on the mower every time I have been up to
camp.

I
wanted to give kudos to Jesse Malone, the Camp Sid Edmonds ranger. Jesse spent the entire summer at Camp
Scoutshire Woods. We have been
struggling with a water leak from the winter months that would just not
stop. After hours of work and blown
gaskets galore, we finally found out the water
pressure at Camp Scoutshire Woods was double what it should have been. No wonder we could not get the water to stop
flowing.

Jesse
has spent the summer and now into the fall working diligently at Scoutshire
almost daily with the ranger. He has
replaced toilet innards, showerheads, cleaned up the kitchen, and used a
bulldozer to grade where we have chronic erosion issues. They have really worked on the craft hut,
grading the front entry, replacing all the screens and getting the sink to
work. Frankly, I have never seen
Scoutshire look so good. If you are up
there in the near term and see Jesse, thank him because you can't pay people to
care the way he has for the properties so girls can have a great time on them.

We also were up at Camp Humming Hills
recently. The pine forest is coming
along nicely. I was pleased that most
of the trees planted are now over the top of my head. They look very healthy and sturdy, which is
always good given how much wind whips through that area on a regular basis. I'm always awestruck at why someone would
build a swim dock in the manner they did at Humming Hills. I had always figured it was dilapidated
instead of being built in a way that looks like something out of a Halloween
distortion experience.

Finally,
at Kamp Kiwanis we are about to build a small observatory up there. We have a benefactor with some restricted
funds who wanted the funds used to honor a deceased Girl Scout. We will be working on that project through the winter.

If
you are up at camp, do take the time to meet the ranger and thank him for all
he does. I recognize not everything
works all the time, however, it isn't because these staff members aren't doing
their job. And yes, they have great
jobs, but never underestimate how much
work maintaining those properties can be.

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My view is of girls learning
skills with boats and paddleboards,
learning to swim, singing new songs, hiking trails, making all sorts of crafts,
and managing bugs and spiders in their living quarters.

Last week, they had a Native American
storyteller and were spellbound by the wonderful stories. Another day, they heard a paleontologist
speak. Then there was a herpetologist from
Auburn University, who brought her frogs and toads. They knew a lot about frogs and toads
already, but she let them see their spade feet, or the bumps on their
back. They learn so much while having
fun.

One of the facets of Girl Scouts I appreciate
most is that girls can learn by doing.
They can collect bugs and create their own living environment. The things they see and experience can be
applied when they return to school in the fall. In the meantime, they have been outside
listening to birds, seeing the fish, and experiencing a lake. I've not heard one mention that she misses
the television, a cell phone, or the Internet.
Music at camp is made from nature or the girls that inhabit it. They do mention they miss their family, but
only occasionally.

We are on a learning curve with the day campers. My notion of victory here is that those
girls will want to attend resident camp next year. So far, we have had a number of them say
they do. At the end of the day as our
drivers talk to them, they discuss the fun they had. This was the first year for the day camp,
and we had some early hiccups, but I believe we have determined it is worth
offering again. We have had a number of
girls who had so much fun their first week that they returned for a
second. This is another victory.

Every day I take a photo of my new office and send it to my friends, calling it
"my office today." Every one of them
expresses jealousy because they can see from the photos the fun the girls are
having. Please check out the fun at our
Flickr.com account on line, share in the joy the girls are having in the outdoors.

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One of the great things about what I do is
getting to know some of the girls we have the privilege of serving.Spending the summer at camp has provided me
with a good opportunity to meet some of the great staff we have.I spent 30 years working with college
students at a university, so I was delighted to spend some time with the summer
camp staff during their training.Since
then, I've been watching them interact with the campers, which is a beautiful
thing.

Many of these girls have gone to camp in our
council and are the product of your hard work and efforts. They are leaders. I see them teach, counsel, correct, nurture
and work with their charges. The girls,
in return, follow them around, look up to them, and find role models to
emulate. It's something I wish you
could all witness, because it proves the power of what a girl can do. And the time you invested in these girls
proves it was time well spent.

These girls laugh, sing, hike, swim, paddle, and eat with our camper girls. And I can assure you they sweat with these
girls. Last week,
I was sitting down from the rec
hall at Scoutshire,
trying to get some work done and someone I was with noticed there was a black
snake at the steps of the building. We
checked it out, and decided it was a rat snake or maybe a black racer. There was a group of Brownies just coming
out of the water from boating, so we asked them if they wanted to see the
snake. They all said they did,
so we let them walk where they could see it, but not too close. No one shrieked, ran, or did anything that
indicated they were afraid of it. The
whole interaction with the counselors, the girls, and watching the snake was
amazing. Girls in the woods who go to
camp tend to appreciate the beauty of the nature that surrounds them, soaking
in all that the great outdoors has to offer.

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From
Scoutshire Woods...My office today overlooks Echo Lake, where one unit is
kayaking, another is serenading me with camp songs from the rec hall, and yet
another is out on the dock in the middle of the lake diving in.What could be better?The birds are singing; there's a bullfrog
croaking in the frog pond; the occasional cricket frog tunes up; and there's a
stunning monarch butterfly flitting near me.

This
is the first time since I've been here that I felt that I could afford the time
to be up here to enjoy summer camp. What a mistake. I come up during breakfast, check on the
girls and the staff, then come to my office on the edge of Echo Lake and turn
on my laptop. This is absolutely the
best part of what I do -- listen to girls giggle as they fall from stand up
paddle boards, probably intentionally, swim from the dock in the middle of the
lake to the swim dock for the first time, or work on camp songs that they will
remember for a lifetime.

This
week of camp has been a great one. Of
the more the 80 girls here, I have seen only one who has a serious attitude
problem. She doesn't want to do
anything. She announced to the staff
the first day she planned on not having a good time. I'm sure if you plan not to have a good
time, you won't. The rest of the girls
watched for the first half day, and then proceeded to go about trying
everything camp has to offer.

Some
days it is hysterical to watch. They
are becoming more adept at actually sweeping the dining hall after they eat
(rather than simply pushing the dust around!).
Many have tried the stand-up paddleboards, and their performance is
pretty impressive. Some who started
afraid of the water can now put their face underwater, and some can swim. What a wonderful thing. The sound of giggling comes from all parts
of camp.

I'm
very pleased with the day camp option.
This week we have only had one girl, but she arrives early and tries to
be away from her drivers at the end of the day so she won't have to leave. That is a victory. We had hoped to attract
some of those girls for resident camp to have the full experience.

Hopefully
you and your daughter are having a great summer!

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Each
year troops and service units kindly donate funds to the council for camp
equipment, other items for broader Girl Scout use, and current
initiatives.We are grateful for these
donations and appreciate the thought that goes into them.

This
year Troop 8442 of Fairhope has
taken the spirit of giving one step further, and created a lasting memorial to
a one of their own. The remaining members of the troop are graduating, so they
are disbanding.They had funds left in their troop account,
so they decided to honor one of their troop members, Emily Dunnam, who was
killed in an accident a number of years ago.They have established a camp scholarship fund in her name to fund girls
who cannot afford to attend Girl Scout camp.

Emily
was always proud to be a Girl Scout. Even
when the troop was in middle school, she wasn't ashamed to be a Girl
Scout. Cori Yonge, one of her troop
leaders, describes Emily as one of the girls at every troop activity. She was a great soccer player, so she would
come to Girl Scouts from soccer practice, and Emily enjoyed all camping
outings. Judy Hale, her other Girl Scout leader, said
at the troop's ending luncheon that she would have stayed a Girl Scout until
she graduated.

Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama has approved the establishment of the Emily
Dunnam Camp Scholarship fund to provide financial assistance to girls who
otherwise could not afford to attend camp.
The first camp scholarships will be awarded for the 2014 camp
scholarship season.

Emily
was an inspiration to her troop.

Troop 8442 has has continuously illustrated the power of what girls can do
through Girl Scouts. Thank you to them
for remembering one of their own by establishing a camp scholarship fund. Thank you to all the other troops of the
council who have also made the world a better place in sharing their resources
with their fellow Girl Scouts.

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I came to Girl Scouts by way of Girl Scout camp.When I was in college, I served as the assistant director of a Girl
Scout camp that had 6- to 11-year-olds.They graduated from our camp and went to the larger and more exciting
one on Lake of the Ozarks for the older girls.What a glorious job it was!

My
job was the camp program. I was out in the woods all day, moving from unit to
unit spelling staff so they could get their breaks. I had an ancient Schwinn bicycle that I rode
through the center part of the camp, but most of the camp was inaccessible by
bicycle, and I had to hike, often alone at night, in the dark. I learned a lot about the beauty of the
woods in the evening with the sounds and movement of animals.

Why do I mention this? Because camp is
a great way for a girl who might not excel at sports or at school to recognize
that she has courage, confidence and character. I am always stunned and amazed at the girl
who finds a snake in her tent and blissfully walks over to tell her
counselor. No screaming, no yelling,
just a nonchalant note to the counselor that someone needs to take care of the
snake so she can change her clothes to go swimming.

In today's world, where we have technology leashes through our cell phones,
laptops, video games, and other devices to keep us in touch, it really leaves us
out of touch -- out of touch with nature, with the melodies of the birds and the
foraging of raccoons in untended trashcans.
I was spending the night at Kamp Kiwanis awhile back, when there was a huge
commotion after dark. We discovered that the noise was made by an armadillo,
waddling around looking for food.
Someone I was with from the staff mentioned she had never seen a live
armadillo in her life.

We
have some great camp opportunities this summer besides resident camp, if your
daughter is worried about spending the night away. We have a day camp option for both resident
camps. We also have established the
dates with the Alabama Wildlife Federation's Lanark property in Millbrook to
offer two-day camps there. Last year,
that camp received rave reviews from the girls. We also have Sail Away, the sailing camp for
girls who want to learn a lifetime sport, sailing.

We
have some great opportunities for girls to increase their skills and get
outdoors with their friends. Even if
their friends don't attend, we work to be sure they have others to rely on
while they are at camp. You would be
surprised how spending time away from technology broadens a girl's
curiosity. Check out all our camps at www.girlscoutssa.org/camp. I'm planning on being up at camp all summer
this year; the best job you can imagine.

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First, I hope
most of you are getting used to E-Council. We have received feedback from many
volunteers who seem to love it.It is
much easier to use and saves lots of time from your end and ours.We have discovered that many of you do not
yet have council debit cards.One of
the things we have discussed on that is you can pay for it personally (using
your own debit or credit card) and get reimbursed by your troop until you have
a troop debit card in place.We have
heard that sometimes it takes the bank 10 business days to get you a troop
debit card.We won't be suspicious on
troop audits if this fall girl memberships were paid to individuals so you can
get registered.

The reason this is important is that the program module is going live very
soon, and you cannot register for any programs unless you are registered in the
membership module. Thus, if you want to
attend a council program, you will have to be registered in E-Council. We have some great programs planned for
girls, and we don't want them to miss out.

September 30 was
the end of the council's fiscal year.
As we get close to the end of the year, if we have money left, then I
try hard to address deferred maintenance issues at each of the camp
properties. One of the things we have
been working on is the slipping sand at Camp Scoutshire Woods. We were able to get more dirt, rock, and
have some bulldozer work done to improve the perimeter road there. Happily, we had a generous gift from our
bulldozer contractor, which helped to make that happen. At Camp Sid Edmonds, we replaced a culvert
where the road washed significantly. We
were able to lay down rock on about half of the road there. We did more rock on the road at Humming
Hills, and Kamp Kiwanis got a new tractor, since the one there had not been
replaced in years.

There is a
large black bear that is in residence not far from Camp Scoutshire Woods, and we
have seen photos of him. He's a large
guy, but the ranger has not seen him, and it is unlikely you will see him. However, we are interested in safety, so
please be on the lookout for bears on the property. This summer, we also had an interloper who
came on to the property at Camp Sid while there was a day camp going. Because we are safety conscious and cell
coverage is spotty at all our properties, we have purchased walkie-talkies for
leaders when you are on camp properties.
When you arrive at the units, they will be checked out to you. The base station is at the ranger's
house. Should you need any assistance
or have an emergency, you can call via a cell phone or now use a walkie-talkie.

Hopefully,
these improvements will make your stay at the camp properties safer and more
enjoyable. If you have not already
registered for the 2013-2014-membership year, please register now.

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As we look toward next summer, we are taking stock of this year's camp
programs and offerings and looking at new possibilities.There has been a resurgence of family camps,
so one of the questions we have is whether, if we had waterfront staff, would
you be interested in a family "staycation" at one of the Girl Scout
properties?There is a lot to do at
most of the properties, but with the increasing cost of gasoline and vacations,
we see this as a value added opportunity for parents of Girl Scouts.

Another
conversation we have been having is whether to allow parents to attend camp
with your younger Girl Scout. Allowing
your daughter to spend time away from home with someone they don't know can be
daunting, so one of the discussions we have had is a session that might start
on Friday evening, with the parents staying until Sunday evening, and then
allowing the girls to stay on without a parent into the week.

The third alternative we have discussed is, rather than spending the night at
camp, offering a day camp program. You
would drop your Girl Scout off at our office, and she would be taken up to camp
every morning for a week. There would
be girls spending the week, but the girls who come from the office would
participate in the same program, other than the overnight segment.

We
are always looking for ways to increase girl participation in camp. We believe being in the great outdoors is a
learning opportunity that should not be missed. We are also looking at a winter camp session
during the end-of-the-year holidays, and if we have sufficient interest, we
will run that session.

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What about way too much to eat, relatives
under foot, wrapping paper, kids with lots of time on their hands? It is always interesting when we look forward
to the holidays, but we are also happy when we can return to our routine.

In this time between various holiday activities, we want to
take stock of 2012. I believe it is
good to be grateful for every day and each year. GSSA has had an excellent 2012! The cookie program was strong last year, with
500 more girls involved in the program.
The per girl cookie sale average increased, which translates additional
funds to fix deferred maintenance, make new purchases, and build new
things. We addressed a number of
leaking roofs, those of us in the Mobile Service Center are especially grateful
for a new roof on both buildings, so it no longer leaks in. We bought more stand-up paddle boards for
both Kamp Kiwanis and Scoutshire Woods, so girls can hone their skills on
those. We built zip lines for the girls
at Scoutshire Woods and Kamp Kiwanis, complete with helmets, harnesses, and
trolleys for the girls to ride on.
There was a new dock at the island in the lake at Scoutshire Woods, and
we built another new dock for the mariners at Kamp Kiwanis. The horse ring at Scoutshire Woods has a new
deluxe restroom, which is a prototype of more restrooms to come at this
property. It is constructed of concrete
block, so in case there is a storm, girls would have a more substantial
building to go to. This is a partial
list of the opportunities we were able to offer the girls because of a strong
cookie program.

The girl programs for the 100th anniversary were
outstanding. In the early spring we
were able to offer Girls Rock Mobile for 600 girls. What a weekend that was, with an overnight
at the Mobile Convention Center. It
included a boat ride so girls understand the port and issues confronting the
port with litter. There were
exhibitors, and a great scavenger hunt through the city streets.

GSSA also took two buses to Rock the Mall, the 100th
anniversary rock concert on the Washington Monument mall, over 250,000 girls
and adults attended that day. Many
other girls used their hard- earned cookie rewards to visit Savannah or take
other trips they had been saving for.

The Heritage Committee put together an excellent exhibit
highlighting the 100 years of Girl Scouts.
The History Museum of Mobile hosted a wonderful reception for the
exhibit opening, so many got to celebrate 100 years of girls learning to become
leaders. This exhibit continues to tour
the council and has been enjoyed by many.

We started having Girl Scout Alumnae events at different
camps in the council and are working to reconnect with those who have gone
before us, celebrating their involvement with girls creating leaders. We continue to schedule those events
throughout the council.

All of this happened while every week many of you meet with
your girls, sing songs, build skills, and teach girls how to become leaders in
their community through Discover, Connect, and Take Action. We appreciate all you do to make the world a
better place. We are grateful for an
excellent 2012 and have high hopes for an even better 2013!

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Here's my true confession for the week. This Girl Scout is no camper, and after nearly 10 years working for Girl Scouts, I had never actually spent the night at one of our camp properties until just last week. Oh, I've spent many days at our camps working at events (I'm always up to lead a craft or a hike), checking on things at resident camp and having meetings. I'm even certified in small craft safety and troop camping. I love my creature comforts, though, and like to head home once the sun goes down.

I really thought I'd dodged a bullet on this one, and I did ... until I got the email from my own Daisy daughter's troop leader detailing plans for a troop camporee. As soon as she heard she'd be spending the night at Kamp Kiwanis, one of her very favorite places, my little one was ready to go. She started packing her bags a full week before our trip and talked of little else to her friends and even her first grade teacher. And, of course, this mom had no choice. I had to go.

Somewhat more reluctantly than my daughter, I packed my bags and headed to camp. The weather was beautiful, which was perfect because our busy girls had a day chockfull of great activities. They canoed, went swimming, made some seriously cute stick animals, hiked, earned a "bugs" badge, cooked their own lasagna in a Dutch oven over the fire and had an investiture/rededication ceremony, among other activities (are you tired yet?!). It was great fun to watch the girls trying new things, learning skills and discovering the joy you can only find in the outdoors.

By the time we took a final hike and packed up the next morning, the girls were looking a little tired, and the moms were feeling really tired, but I heard more than one child say that this was the best weekend ever and others ask why we had to leave so soon. The girls were hugging each other before they got into their cars and asking when they could pleeeese do this again soon. They had certainly learned a few lessons over the weekend, and interestingly, so did I.

Here are some things I took away from the experience:

* There is nothing to compare with the joyful sounds of 13 Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts when they are canoeing for the first time.

* Taking a night hike without checking the trail for spider webs first is probably not a good idea. Sorry about that, girls!

* The night noises at camp are beautiful, as is the sunrise over Lake Martin. You should definitely try it.

* Much to my surprise, you really can cook a tasty dinner in a Dutch oven. I won't doubt Cheryl Miller (our council's volunteer liaison and camper extraordinaire) on that topic again.

* Who needs crème brulee when you can have a dessert of campfire cones (see recipe below) while sitting around the fire? These babies are so tasty I'll definitely be making them by our fireside at home this winter.

* Spending the weekend in the woods reminds you of all the things you love about your child and helps you discover some new qualities to enjoy, as well.

The moral of this non-camper's story is this. You may not ever be a "real" camper, and it's ok if you don't love spending the night in the woods. It's a great experience, though, and definitely worth a try. You'll learn a lot about your daughter and maybe a little about yourself, too. Happy camping!

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This is a great time of year
if you work for Girl Scouts, because you have the opportunity to get outdoors
and ready for camp. It is always the
highlight of my year, as I get to spend time working on things to enrich the
girls' summer camp experience. Some of
the projects are in the early stages, others are not quite underway, but we'll
get there.

At this time of year, I like
to check with the rangers to see what wildlife we have on our properties. So far this year, we have had three
rattlesnakes on three of the four camps.
The only camp we haven't seen a rattler on yet is Kamp Kiwanis.

Last year Kamp Kiwanis had a
rattlesnake, which is fairly unusual and likely the result of their habitat
being destroyed with the tornado. A few
years ago, when we timbered Camp Humming Hills, the guys working on the timber
project said they saw a jaguar with two cubs.
Recently, Wanda Smith, the ranger's wife was on the property and saw two
jaguars. They are incredibly elusive,
to see them would be a tremendous gift, as their range is huge.

In an effort to document our
wildlife, we will be putting in some trophy cameras. They take photos of movement, even at night. They do that with an infrared flash, so they
don't spook the wildlife. I'm hoping we
will have some fun and education about what lives at the camps when we aren't
around.

We have one zip line
installed at Kamp Kiwanis, and some of the board members took their fiduciary
responsibility seriously and tried it the afternoon before the annual
meeting. We are intentionally
installing the zip lines at girl level, and if they enjoy them, then we will
look at putting more in higher places. Right
now, we have the test line in, and once we figure out how that works, we will
install a few at Camp Scoutshire Woods.
For girls waiting to use the zip lines, since there's always a line at
such things, we have a slack line, much like a balance beam made of a narrow
tape between two trees. It's the new
hot thing on college campuses.

Paul Wright, the ranger at
Kamp Kiwanis spent a large chunk of his time this winter clearing out the trees
between the Pioneer Unit bathhouse and the lake to build a beautiful new dock
for the sailing program. This will keep
the sailboat traffic and canoe traffic separate. We also have more stand-up paddle boards
headed to both Kamp Kiwanis and Camp Scoutshire Woods.

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Yes, this is the time of year that we start planning for summer
camp.It is important for the camp
directors to get their plans nailed down so we can get
the properties ready for the summer ahead.Last year we saw a significant decrease in the number of girls attending
resident camp, which we hope will not happen again this summer.

I had someone call and suggest we do an abbreviated session
for Brownies.We do offer abbreviated
sessions for Brownies; in fact, we have one that includes moms!Our initial camp registrations last year were ahead of what they had been the year
before.But, as time went along, both
resident camps had fewer girls.I speculate
some of this is from troops saving their funds to go on significant trips this
summer.We have a number going to Rock
the Mall in Washington, D.C.,
and many traveling to Savannah.Another problem for summer 2012 is the MontgomerySchool District isn't out of school
until much later in June.Because of
these factors, we will reduce the number of camp sessions at both properties
from fourweeks to three weeks.Given the number of girls we had last
summer, I don't anticipate this will create any issues.In fact, it should make for better
sessions.Both camp directors have new
ideas on how to improve the programs.They
are both working to integrate the new materials from the Girls Guide to Girl
Scouting in their programs.We hope to
have more information for resident camp available earlier this year and can't
wait to see you at camp next summer!

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I was at camp yesterday, getting paid to watch girls learning to use a stand up paddleboard, sail or archery. It was wonderful to see girls push themselves out of their comfort zone to try new things. The weather was beautiful, and girls were enjoying the outdoors, away from their electronics. And guess what? They were all having a great time! They were talking to each other, face to face -- what a wonderful thing. As times change, we have technology and all sorts of things that consume our time. It's important to remember, though, that trying new things and talking to your friends, makes the best summer memories!